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Raw Honey Enzymes

Raw honey enzymes ....
Raw honey
contains a number of different enzymes. But what exactly is raw honey? It’s honey that has never been heated above the temperature of the beehive. When raw honey is heated above this temperature, so that it might be poured into containers, it loses all of its health benefits. Raw honey is almost always in a solid or crystallized form. Cooked honey loses its crystal structure and becomes a liquid.

The bees introduce some of the enzymes, found in raw honey, while others are found in the nectar. Because of the different nectar sources, as with other aspects of honey, the enzyme activity will also vary greatly in different honeys. Honeydew honey has high enzyme activity while arbutus honey has virtually no enzyme activity, because it’s produced in late autumn and over-wintering bees have reduced gland activity.

Raw honey
contains the following enzymes: diastase, invertase, catalase, glucose oxidase, acid phosphatase and inulase, which aid in digestion and assimilation. Diastase and invertase have received the most attention and study of all the enzymes. They’re introduced to the honey by the bees and their presence varies. Factors that can affect their presence are presumed to be the nectar composition, the age of the bees and the nectar flow. An intense nectar flow with a high concentration will have a low diastase and invertase activity.

The nectar is mixed with secretions from the salivary and hypopharyngeal glands of foraging bees. In the hive the nectar is passed from bee to bee and more secretions are added before it’s stored in the cells. Thus the amount of enzymes present is due to the age, diet and physiological stage of the bees (when a bee is a forager its glands produce more digestive enzymes), strength of the colony, temperature of the hive and nectar flow and its sugar content.

Diastase

Raw honey enzymes ....Diastase is an enzyme, which converts starch to dextrins and sugars, and is introduced into the honey by the bees. Another name for diastase is amylase. Diastase is used as a freshness indicator in honey, because it decreases in old or heated honey. The presence of diastase in honey used as a sweetener in foods containing starch has been reported to cause the food to lose its viscosity.

Invertase

Raw honey enzymes ....Invertase is the enzyme found in honey that converts sucrose in nectar to glucose and fructose. Because most ripe honey has very little sucrose, usually less than 5 percent, the enzyme’s work is done early in the life of the honey. Another name for invertase is sucrase.

Invertase activity greatly varies in different types of honey. Honeydew honeys have the highest level of invertase activity. Invertase, as diastase, is also used as an indicator of honey freshness because of the same reasons that diastase is used. Because invertase is more susceptible to heat the best indictor is a ratio of the two enzymes.

Catalase

Raw honey enzymes ....Catalase is found in some honey and is believed to be present from the nectar of the plant source. Because catalase decomposes hydrogen peroxide the presence of this enzyme will reduce the antibacterial activity of the honey

Glucose Oxidase

Raw honey enzymes ....Glucose oxidase is important in its relationship to the antibacterial properties of honey. It catalyses glucose and forms gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide, the main agent responsible for the antibacterial activity of most honeys. Glucose oxidase, which is usually measured by it production of hydrogen peroxide, varies greatly in different honeys. The glucose oxidase activity is related to the honey source.

Heat, light and microwave ovens can reduce the GOX activity. Honeys vary in its affect by light. Some lose their GOX activity when exposed to small amounts of visible light while others are not affected by strong sunlight.

Gluconic acid accounts for most of the honey’s acidity and is the main acid found in the honey. The production of gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide is extremely slow in ripe honey and most of it is produced when the honey is being ripened and dried by the bees.

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